A Croatian Weather Domain Spoken Dialog System Prototype

Speech technologies and language technologies have been already in use in IT for a certain time. Because of their great impact and fast growth, it is necessary to introduce these technologies for Croatian language. In this paper we propose a solution for developing a domain-oriented spoken dialog system for Croatian language. We have chosen a weather domain because it has limited vocabulary, it has easily accessible data and it is highly applicable. The Croatian weather dialog system provides information about weather in different regions of Croatia. The modules of the spoken dialog system perform automatic word recognition, semantic analysis, dialog management, response generation and text-to-speech synthesis. This is a first attempt to develop such a system for Croatian language and some new approaches are presented

ANALYSIS OF POSTAL MARKET IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Tržište poštanskih usluga, kako u Republici Hrvatskoj, tako i u većini ostalih svjetskih država, prolazi kroz velike promjene kao posljedica sve češćeg korištenja elektroničke komunikacije te supstitucije poštanskih usluga. Napredak tehnologije utječe i na promjene ponašanja korisnika, kao i na njihova očekivanja u vezi s kvalitetom i brzinom usluge. U Republici Hrvatskoj djeluju gotovo svi na svjetskoj razini prepoznati pružatelji usluga paketne distribucije, a njihov je cilj da u što kraćem vremenu i uz što višu razinu kvalitete usluge isporuče pošiljku primatelju. Cilj ovog rada je analizirati stanje na poštanskom tržištu u Republici Hrvatskoj. Posljednjih godina sve je izraženiji utjecaj supstitucije poštanskih usluga elektroničkim, što se ogleda u padu obujma pismovnih pošiljaka. S druge strane raste broj distribuiranih paketa kod većine poštanskih operatora u zemljama članicama i to zahvaljujući rastu elektroničke trgovine. Navedeni trendovi nisu zaobišli ni hrvatsko poštansko tržište na kojem su se također korisnici okrenuli češćoj online kupovini, što je potenciralo trend rasta dostavljenih paketa. Temeljem provedene analize zaključuje se kako unatoč uspostavi potpune liberalizacije hrvatskog poštanskog tržišta i dalje dominira nacionalni operator, Hrvatska pošta d. d., no on pod utjecajem promjena na tržištu poslovanje više ne temelji isključivo na tradicionalnim poslovima, već širi svoju ponudu dodatnim uslugama.In Croatia, as in almost all other countries of the world, the postal services market has been going through big changes that are the consequence of the growing use of electronic communication and the fact of the postal services being substituted by it. Technological advancement also influences the changes in the behaviour of users and their expectations regarding the quality and the speed of the service provided. Almost all of the world-renown package distribution service providers whose goal is to deliver the parcels as quickly and as efficiently as possible operate in the Republic of Croatia. The goal of this paper is to analyse the state of affairs on the postal market in the Republic of Croatia. Over the last years, postal services have been increasingly substituted with electronic services, as evidenced by fewer letters being sent by the post. On the other hand, the number of the distributed parcels has been growing, due to the development of e-commerce. These trends are also present on the Croatian postal market, where buyers have become increasingly oriented towards online shopping, resulting in more packages being delivered. Based on the conducted analysis, the conclusions are drawn that, despite of the fact that the Croatian postal market has been completely liberalized, the market is still dominated by the national operator Hrvatska pošta d.d. However, under the influence of the market changes, the operator expands its offer by providing additional services and not just relying on the traditional business activities

SATISFACTION OF THE YOUNG USERS WITH THE PARCEL DELIVERY SERVICES IN CROATIA

Posljednjih godina, uloga paketne dostave u urbanim područjima kontinuirano raste, prvenstveno zbog ubrzanog rasta online kupovine, a navedeno nije zaobišlo niti hrvatsko tržište. Pristupanjem Hrvatske Europskoj uniji, tržište poštanskih usluga se liberaliziralo te su se stvorili preduvjeti za proširenje postojeće ponude usluga, porast konkurencije kao i povećanje količine prenesenih paketa. Na tržištu paketne distribucije u Republici Hrvatskoj djeluju gotovo svi svjetski poznati pružatelji usluga. Uzevši u obzir kako upravo mladi korisnici u najvećoj mjeri koriste informacijske tehnologije, a samim time i kupovinu putem iste, nameće se potreba istraživanja njihova zadovoljstva kvalitetom usluga paketnih dostavljača na području Republike Hrvatske. Cilj ovog rada je, na temelju provedenog primarnog istraživanja, ispitati zadovoljstvo mladih korisnika uslugama paketnih dostavljača u Republici Hrvatskoj. Pouzdanost usluge i poštivanje roka dostave potvrđeni su kao najvažniji čimbenici koji determiniraju zadovoljstvo mladog korisnika kvalitetom cjelokupne usluge. Ispitanici su kao najmanje važno istaknuli prepoznatljivost imena poduzeća koje im pruža usluge paketne distribucije. Poduzeća koja posluju na ovom tržištu moraju poboljšati dostupnost informacija, brzinu i sigurnost dostave paketa, ali i ulagati u daljnju modernizaciju.In the last years, the role of parcel delivery in urban areas has been continuously growing, first and foremost because of the intense importance online commerce is gaining. This is also true of the Croatian market. With the Croatian accession to the European Union, postal services market has liberalized which has created suitable preconditions for the existing services, growth of competition and more packages to be delivered. Almost all world-renown service providers are present on the Croatian parcel distribution market. Bearing in mind that mostly younger population uses information technologies, and therein shop online, their satisfaction with the services provided by the parcel delivery companies in Croatia should be investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this research paper is, based on the primary research, to explore how well young users are satisfied with the package delivery services in Croatia. Reliability and punctuality have been confirmed as the most significant factors that determine the level of satisfaction of the young users with the quality of the overall service. The research also suggests that recognition of the company’s name is the least important element. Companies that operate on this market have to improve information availability, work on providing safe and timely delivery and invest in further modernization

Diskordantni rast u dikorionskih blizanaca i rizik prijevremenog porođaja

The aim was to determine whether discordant twin growth has an impact on preterm birth in dichorionic pregnancies. This retrospective study included dichorionic twin pregnancies in the period from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. The following variables were investigated: maternal age (years), parity, body mass index (kg/m2), week (≤366/7 and ≥37) and mode of delivery (vaginal and cesarean section), birth weight (grams) and Apgar score (≤7, 8-10). Discordant twin growth in dichorionic pregnancies was found to be associated with preterm birth (χ2=4.74; p=0.03) but had no impact on the mode of delivery (χ2=0.119; p=0.73). There was a statistically significant difference in the rate of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates (χ2=16.4556; p=0.000267) and Apgar score (χ2=7.9931; p<0.05) between the study groups. Mode of conception in dichorionic pregnancies was not a risk factor for preterm delivery (χ2=1.417; p=0.23). In conclusion, discordant twin growth in dichorionic pregnancies is a risk factor for preterm delivery and has no impact on the mode of delivery but has an impact on the rate of SGA and Apgar score.Cilj istraživanja je bio ustanoviti ima li diskordantni rast blizanaca u dikorionskim blizanačkim trudnoćama utjecaja na pojavnost prijevremenog porođaja. U studiju su uključene dikorionske blizanačke trudnoće u razdoblju od 1. siječnja 2013. do 31. prosinca 2015. Istraživane varijable su bile majčinska dob (godine), paritet, indeks tjelesne mase (kg/m2), način po-rođaja (vaginalno i carski rez), porođajna masa (grami) i zbroj APGAR (≤7, 8-10). U blizanačkim trudnoćama s diskordantnim rastom bila je veća učestalost prijevremenog porođaja (χ2=4,74; p=0,03), ali nije bilo razlike u načinu dovršetka trudnoće ­između istraživanih skupina (χ2=0,119; p=0,73). Utvrđena je statistički značajna razlika u pojavnosti hipotrofične djece (χ2=16,4556; p=0,000267) i zbroju APGAR (χ2=7,9931; p<0,05) između istraživanih skupina. Način zanošenja u dikorionskim trudnoćama nije bio činitelj rizika za prijevremeni porođaj u istraživanim skupinama (χ2=1,417; p=0,23). Zaključno, diskordantni rast blizanaca u dikorionskim trudnoćama predstavlja činitelj rizika za prijevremeni porođaj, hipotrofiju novorođenčadi i niži zbroj APGAR, ali nema utjecaja na način dovršetka trudnoće

Ekonomija dijeljenja: Poslovni model budućnosti?

Ekonomija dijeljenja predstavlja nove poslovne modele u kojem pojedinci više nemaju isključivo ulogu potrošača, već dvojaku funkciju korisnika i pružatelja usluga. Netradicionalan oblik poslovanja donosi pogodnosti poput povoljnijih cijena, fleksibilnijeg radnog vremena, no ima i svoje nedostatke kao što su nestabilnost osobnih primanja radnika te niža zaštita radničkih prava. Ekonomija dijeljenja već je prisutna u brojnim sektorima poput smještaja, prijevoza, obavljanja kućanskih poslova i pružanja profesionalnog savjetovanja te financijskih usluga. Ukupna je vrijednost tržišta ekonomije dijeljenja prema analizama čak 250 milijardi američkih dolara, dok se procjenjuje da će do 2025. godine ona iznositi čak 335 milijardi eura. U ovom se radu daje sveobuhvatan pregled područja ekonomije dijeljenja, razrađuje se pitanje definicije ekonomije dijeljenja u akademskom, poslovnom i regulatornom okruženju, analiziraju se prednosti i nedostatci ekonomije dijeljenja te se opisuju uloge svih sudionika u ekonomiji dijeljenja: korisnika usluga, pružatelja usluga i posredničkih digitalnih platformi

NDM-1-producing Enterobacter aerogenes isolated from a patient with a JJ ureteric stent in situ

Urinary tract infections after JJ stent insertion are among the most common complications, and the associated microorganisms carry more antibiotic resistance determinants than those found in urine prior to stent insertion. In line with the trends in healthcare epidemiology which implicate multi-resistant microorganisms in a plethora of healthcare-associated infections, prosthetic stent material also represents an ideal milieu for biofilm formation and subsequent infection development with resistant bacterial agents. Here we describe a case of a 73-year-old Caucasian woman presenting with urinary tract infection after JJ ureteric stent insertion due to ureteric obstruction and hydronephrosis of her left kidney. Extensive microbiological work-up and comprehensive molecular analysis identified the putative microorganism as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes carrying New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1). This is a first literature report implicating such extensively resistant strain of this species in early indwelling ureteric stent complications, and also the first report of NDM-1 in Enterobacter aerogenes in Croatia and Europe

Fizičko-geografska analiza Limskog zaljeva

Rad ne sadrži sažetak

Geomorphological Characteristics of Istrian Contact Krast

U radu se istražuju geomorfološka obilježja kontaktnog krša Istre kao specifičnog tipa reljefa razvijenog na kontaktu propusnih krednih vapnenaca i nepropusnih eocenskih flišolikih naslaga. Rasprostranjenost kontaktnog krša utvrđena je korištenjem listova Osnovne geološke karte, georeferenciranih topografskih karata i digitalnog modela reljefa. Promatrani tip reljefa se u prostoru očituje slijepim i suhim dolinama te ponorima kojih je prema topografskoj karti utvrđeno devet. Kontaktni krš Istre može se podijeliti u dvije odvojene zone. Prva zona vezana je uz Bujski krš, dok se druga veže u Pazinsku jamu. U radu su prikazani osnovni statistički podaci o promatranim ponorima, opća morfometrija Istre, morfometrija izdvojene zone istraživanja te neki od hidrogeografskih podataka. Terenskim radom istraženi su ranije pronađeni ponori i njihove slijepe doline, a kao produkt terenskog rada napravljene su geomorfološke karte područja oko ponora.This paper deals with geomorphological characteristics of Istrian contact karst as a specific type of relief which if found on the contact of cretaceous limestones and Eocene flysch like sediments. Distribution of contact karst is established by using Main geological map, georeferenced topographic maps and digital elevation model. This type of relief is presented by blind and fossil dry valleys as well as sinkholes. According to the topographic map, nine sinkholes were found. Istrian contact karst can be divided in two separate zones. The first one is associated with Bujski karst, while the second zone associates with Pazinska jama. Paper gives basic statistical facts about examined sinkholes, general morphometric data about Istria as well as specific morphometric data about examined contact karst zones and some hydrogeographical information. During the field work, previously found sinkholes and their blind valleys were examined and as a final product, geomorphological maps of area around sinkholes were made

Geomorphological Characteristics of Istrian Contact Krast

U radu se istražuju geomorfološka obilježja kontaktnog krša Istre kao specifičnog tipa reljefa razvijenog na kontaktu propusnih krednih vapnenaca i nepropusnih eocenskih flišolikih naslaga. Rasprostranjenost kontaktnog krša utvrđena je korištenjem listova Osnovne geološke karte, georeferenciranih topografskih karata i digitalnog modela reljefa. Promatrani tip reljefa se u prostoru očituje slijepim i suhim dolinama te ponorima kojih je prema topografskoj karti utvrđeno devet. Kontaktni krš Istre može se podijeliti u dvije odvojene zone. Prva zona vezana je uz Bujski krš, dok se druga veže u Pazinsku jamu. U radu su prikazani osnovni statistički podaci o promatranim ponorima, opća morfometrija Istre, morfometrija izdvojene zone istraživanja te neki od hidrogeografskih podataka. Terenskim radom istraženi su ranije pronađeni ponori i njihove slijepe doline, a kao produkt terenskog rada napravljene su geomorfološke karte područja oko ponora.This paper deals with geomorphological characteristics of Istrian contact karst as a specific type of relief which if found on the contact of cretaceous limestones and Eocene flysch like sediments. Distribution of contact karst is established by using Main geological map, georeferenced topographic maps and digital elevation model. This type of relief is presented by blind and fossil dry valleys as well as sinkholes. According to the topographic map, nine sinkholes were found. Istrian contact karst can be divided in two separate zones. The first one is associated with Bujski karst, while the second zone associates with Pazinska jama. Paper gives basic statistical facts about examined sinkholes, general morphometric data about Istria as well as specific morphometric data about examined contact karst zones and some hydrogeographical information. During the field work, previously found sinkholes and their blind valleys were examined and as a final product, geomorphological maps of area around sinkholes were made

The Influence of Different Cleaning Protocols on the Surface Roughness of Orthodontic Retainers

Thermoplastic materials are sensitive to humidity, temperature variations, enzyme activities, and cyclic loading. All these factors can cause changes to the mechanical properties of the material. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of different cleaning protocols on the surface roughness of orthodontic retainers. Samples of two brands of polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PET-G) material were exposed to four cleaning protocols: Corega (alkaline peroxide tablets), Toothbrush, Corega + toothbrush, Toothbrush + toothpaste, and Control. Measurement of the surface roughness of the sample on both the top and bottom side was carried out before and after cleaning. There was no statistical difference between the final values of the measured parameters. However, looking at the extent of the change in surface roughness, there was a statistically significant difference in the upper side of the Corega + toothbrush group between Materials A and B. This suggests that there was a greater change in the roughness of material A (Erkodur), given that the mean change in roughness of Material A was Ra 0.047, whereas the mean change in roughness of Material B was Ra 0.022. Almost all the tested cleaning procedures significantly increased the surface roughness of the PET-G retainer material. Of all the methods, the Corega tablets had the lowest influence on surface roughness